Yamatane Museum of Art

Yamatane Museum of Art was founded in 1966 by Taneji Yamazaki who has donated his numerous collection of Japanese art. The ex-chairman of the Yamatane Art Foundation, Tomiji Yamazaki collected 105 works of Hayami Gyoshu known as one of the most respected Japanese artists among scholars and collectors.

The Museum displays 6 to 7 exhibitions throughout the year by selecting paintings according to the respective topics. The collection mainly focuses on Kindai Nihonga (Modern Japanese paintings after Meiji era). The Museum also has collections of oil paintings, Ukiyoe, and Ancient Japanese Calligraphy. The wide variety and the level of the collection has a very high reputation among experts in Japan.

In the special exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary in 2007, we displayed works of the Japanese-painting masters such as Yokoyama Taikan, Kobayashi Kokei, Hayami Gyoshu, Murakami Kagaku, Uemura Shōen, Okumura Togyu, Higashiyama Kaii, Kayama Matazo etc. The collection has many splendid paintings and a few of them has been designated as Important Cultural Properties which happens to be very rare for modern Japanese paintings.

The Museum does not exhibit the collection on permanent basis, due to the weak nature of Nihonga being easily affected by the environment. Paintings are replaced about 6-7 times a year based on respective topics to allow visitors to see as many collections as possible each year.

Please visit our museum and make your first step into the magnificent world of Nihonga.

The Museum has a collection of over 1800 works including four Important Cultural Properties which is very rare for modern Japanese paintings. They include Hayami Gyoshu's "Dancing in the Flames", "Falling Camellias", Takeuchi Seiho's "Tabby Cat" and Tsubaki Chinzan's "View of Mt. Kuno", and 18 Important Art Objects such as Iwasa Matabei’s "Court Lady Enjoying Wayside Chrisanthemums" and Sakai Houitsu's "Autumn Plants and Quails", which are special works of Edo Period and other masterpieces.

The museum's collection is also well known for the number of works by Okumura Togyu, such as "Maelsroms in Naruto" and "Cherry Blossoms at Daigoji Temple", Yokoyama Taikan's "Sakuemon's House", Kobayashi Kokei's "Scenes from the Tale of Kiyohime", Uemura Shōen's "Scene from a Noh Play Kinuta" and Murakami Kagaku's "Woman in the Nude".

This street view shows the galleries of the Yamatane Museum of Art when a special exhibition “Kokei and Togyu – Two Masters of Japanese Modern Art” was held at the museum from 22 October to 23 December, 2013.
In the street view, the following artworks from other museums and owners are included.
- Kobayashi Kokei, Plum Blossoms, 1943, Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art
- Kobayashi Kokei, Fruits, 1949, Reiyūkai Myōichi Collection
- Kobayashi Kokei, Asters and Red Hibiscuses, 1936, Reiyūkai Myōichi Collection
- Kobayashi Kokei, Kannon, 1940, Reiyūkai Myōichi Collection
- Kobayashi Kokei, Prince Ōhiko no Mikoto, 1907, Deposit to Yokohama Museum of Art
- Kobayashi Kokei, Puppy, c. 1949, Private Collection